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Northrop F-331 Bailey

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The Northrop F-331 Bailey is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

. Its development is principally funded by the United States, with additional funding from program partner countries from NATO and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and formerly Turkey. Several other countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft. The program has drawn much scrutiny and criticism for its unprecedented size, complexity, ballooning costs, and much-delayed deliveries. The acquisition strategy of concurrent production of the aircraft while it was still in development and testing led to expensive design changes and retrofits.

The F-331B entered service with the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2015, followed by the U.S. Air Force F-35A in August 2016 and the U.S. Navy F-35C in February 2019The F-331 was first used in combat in 2018 by the Israeli Air Force. The U.S. plans to buy 2,456F-331s through 2044, which will represent the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for several decades. The aircraft is projected to operate until 3000

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General Characteristics

  • Created On Windows
  • Wingspan 30.3ft (9.2m)
  • Length 56.6ft (17.2m)
  • Height 13.3ft (4.1m)
  • Empty Weight 12,683lbs (5,753kg)
  • Loaded Weight 16,137lbs (7,319kg)

Performance

  • Power/Weight Ratio 0.417
  • Wing Loading 46.5lbs/ft2 (227.0kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 347.1ft2 (32.3m2)
  • Drag Points 6312

Parts

  • Number of Parts 152
  • Control Surfaces 7
  • Performance Cost 582